Jack's World Famous Thanksgiving Stuffing/Dressing Recipe

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This is certainly a once-a-year recipe for those who are watching their cholesterol but it's worth it.

Feel free to substitute ingredients in or out - it is a very forgiving recipe. This makes enough to freeze half before cooking and still feed a family of six with the other half. (It freezes very well.)

Sauté in one stick of butter until tender both a good-sized, finely diced apple and a pear, six finely chopped stalks of celery, six minced garlic cloves, and four large, minced onions. (This is usually too much for one sauté pan so do it in two or more separate batches instead of overcrowding it.)

Place mixture into large bowl with: the grated rind of a lemon, the juice of half a lemon, one cup of orange juice, a can of drained, finely chopped water chestnuts and three tablespoons of chopped preserved ginger. Add small package of pine nuts that have been toasted in butter on the stove top.

I usually do the above steps on the night before. It allows the flavors to blend better and avoids tying up the kitchen (and my time) on Thanksgiving/Christmas Day. If you do so, then place everything into a covered bowl and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temp in the morning. If necessary zap it for a few seconds in the microwave to ensure it mixes freely.

In a very large bowl place: Two high quality bread loaves lightly toasted and made into bread crumbs (or three packages bakery-bought bread crumbs). The higher quality bread you start with the better the dressing will be in the end.

Add one-quarter pound melted butter and every bit of fat that can be grabbed out of the bird and rendered to the bread bowl and gently mix.

Then mix the bowls together like mad (but gently). Then toss (but gently). If too dry use a low-salt chicken stock to moisten. If you like your dressing to be very moist add: two eggs beaten into a half cup of heavy cream.

Be very careful not to mat down the bread crumbs as you mix everything together.

Then stuff into the turkey and cook in it. Or, cook as side dressing in buttered pan (350 for one hour). Then devour, with dinner guests battling over every last hidden in a cranny of the bird.